Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 10:27 am Hatchling not eating!
Hello All,
I want to know what's wrong with my turtles, particularly the smallest one. He hasn't been eating for about two weeks now. He never goes in the water anymore and basks all day. This also has been for about two weeks. They are class pets so I only see them from about 7:30 ish am- to maybe 6 pm. If I stay late.
I noticed a very small whitish spot on him (smaller one) a long time ago. Now the spot is no longer white. It looks black on that area and is considerably bigger. Also, the underbelly of the turtles are a bit pinkish. What does this mean? I've been doing my own research and can't figure it out? I'm so confused. Is it shell rot, or is the shell just growing, is it healing, or is it mineral deposits? It is hard, and it doesn't smell. I just don't know.
The other turtle is as happy as a clam and is swimming in the water when I get to school in the morning. She swims through the day, and basks when she wants. She has a great appetite. I think she has even learned to beg. So, I reduced her food intake... will describe below. When her shell is wet it looks perfect, but when she AND the other turtle are dry they seem to have a white film or white "something" on their shells. It's hard to describe. I notice a white film on the tank too where the waterfall is, so I just recently started thinking it was mineral deposits.
Medication: I recently, bought Chlorexidine solution 2%. I diluted it tsp for 1 gal. I got a soft toothbrush and washed the shell first with soap, then dipped a cotton round in the solution, and applied it all over to the front and back shell. I dry docked the turtles today since about 1:30pm and won't put them back in the water until I get to school tomorrow. This is the 2 day using the solution but 1st day dry docking them for more than 2 hrs. The first day I also put some melafix in the water.
Background info: I got two hatchling yellow bellied sliders from a mom and pop convient store. They were about the size of a quarter and half dollar piece. When I bought them a month and a half ago, they were being kept in a small pond dish with very shallow water and no lighting. They looked healthy but weren't active. They were being fed brown pellets every other day.
Husbandry: I change 20-50% of the water every 7-9 days. I use a turtle water conditioner. I don't use a heater. I live in Florida and I'm sure ours on the tropical setting they need. I change the filter once a month.
Initial setup: I kept them in that for about two weeks and needy or them outside in the sun for about 5 hrs a day. I fed them the same brown pellets from the store about once a day. It took them a few days before they would eat.
Current setup: After that, I bought a new basic aquatic turtle setup. A 10 gal. tank with a filter, basking dock, lid, and light. After about two weeks, I got them a dual light they has a light for heat and a uvb light. All lighting are made especially for turtles. They also have a waterfall filter now, made for up to a 20 gal.
Feeding: I fed them Reptomin green floating sticks every other day, then daily. Now I feed them daily, except the weekends, because I'm not there. I took them home one weekend, but read they would be fine over a long weekend, and live long periods of time without food, so I stopped. I usually feed them in their tank because when I take the little one out, he won't eat or won't eat quickly.
On Friday, I give them small meal worms at least 1 a piece. Sometimes, the bigger one eats the worm before the smaller one can get it. At one point I gave them a meal worm everyday. I noticed they seemed to be more active when I started doing that. They seemed happier to be getting live food.
Tankmates: There are two mollies in the tank with them. A male and a female.
Last edited by
TurtleMom33 on Sat Nov 04, 2017 5:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.